Friday, August 12, 2011
The Amazing Portrait collar Evie Blouse
Thursday, August 4, 2011
The quest for the perfect Women’s Tunic.
Find a blouse that has stretch in it. I would advise keeping the other 1+ natural fibers for a nicer hand and a better wear/look to the blouse. Our light weight stretch fabric that makes up our Violet Women’s Tunic is 68% cotton, 28% nylon, and 4% spandex and has a great hand (soft not polyester feeling), comes in amazing colors (nylon holds dye the best of all fabrications), and best of all can be laundered at home in your washing machine and line dried with minimal wrinkling. Fabric that has stretch has give and is far more comfortable even if it’s worn a little tight to the body and wrinkles less then anything that is 100% fiber.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Portrait Collar Show Stopper - Introducing the Evie Blouse
- Ends approx at wearer's high hip to mid thigh (slightly longer in the back because of the peplum)
- Slim Fit
- Features include: lightweight stretch fabric that makes it a perfect fit and comfy to wear, flattering portrait collar that shows off your femininity and creates a nice display area for jewelry, a small peplum at the back that adds interest and an hourglass silhouette, lace detail on the front placket for a feminine touch, and 3/4 length sleeves that can flip up and become short sleeves or stay down creating an additional area for accessories but not get in your way throughout your busy day.
- Click here for more info on our high quality craftsmanship
Fabric: 68% Cotton, 28% Nylon, 4% Spandex, Chambray: 100% Cotton
Care Instructions: Machine wash cold delicate cycle. Tumble dry low or hang dry.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Try our amazing women's tunic - the Stripe Violet!
• Ends at mid thigh
• Slim fit
• Features include: double collar for interest (inner collar is a standing ruffle and outer is a flat shawl collar), long length that is great over leggings or jeans, functional side seam pockets, longer short sleeve that covers any trouble areas on the arm while elongating and slenderizing the arms, beautiful details such as a back belt, back tucks on the bodice, and double breasted closure that adds interest and attention to your outfit
• Click here for more info on our high quality craftsmanship.
Our Violet Tunic runs true to size. Try pairing with Kate Boggiano full length seamless leggings or shapewear leggings. I'm going to live in my Violet Tunic this Fall!!
Did you save 20% on your Violet Tunic at our Warehouse sale?
Email me if you didn't but you still want to - I think we can work something out.
Happy Monday!
Kate
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Our dramatic pleated blouse - the Anne
• Ends at wearer’s hip
• Slim fit
• Features include: beautiful Japanese cotton for a luxurious look and feel, a high neck pleated collar that draws attention to your face, faux french cuffs that create the same great look without the hassle of cuff links, and a tailored fit helps to create a slim silhouette.
• Click here for more info on our high quality craftsmanship.
Our Anne blouse with pleats runs true to size. If you typically have trouble with blouses fitting in the chest, I suggest sizing up. I love my Anne belted or under a cardigan for different looks and I think I wear navy stripes the most!
Happy Shopping!
PS-don’t forget to stop by our booth on the north west area of Daley plaza today and tomorrow. We have 30% off our collection plus samples starting as low as $30! See you there!
Kate Boggiano location on Daley Plaza |
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Secrets to finding (and wearing) a Tailored Blouse
Blouses with stretch wrinkle less and fit better.
I’m going to touch on points 1, 2, and 4 with the same tip – find a blouse that has stretch in it. I would advise keeping the other 1+ natural fibers for a nicer hand and a better wear/look to the blouse. Our light weight stretch fabric is 68% cotton, 28% nylon, and 4% spandex and has a great hand (soft not polyester feeling), comes in amazing colors (nylon holds dye the best of all fabrications), and best of all can be laundered at home in your washing machine and line dried with minimal wrinkling. Fabric that has stretch has give and is far more comfortable even if it’s worn a little tight to the body and wrinkles less then anything that is 100% fiber.
There is no standard sizing in women’s apparel.
Unfortunately, we are all aware of this statement. When you are a size 6 in one designer, you could be a size 2 in a mass merchant, and a size 10 in a high end European designer. It’s difficult to get this right let alone have to remember what you are in each brand you shop. Although there is no standardization, there is a method the fitting madness. First, when you try on blouses, fit to the widest part of your upper body which is typically the problem area. For example, if your shoulders are normally too wide for most blouses, choose a blouse that is a perfect fit on your shoulders but too big elsewhere. Second, find a good tailor in your home town. I know that this can get expensive but if you have better fitting quality clothing, you won’t need as much of it because you will want to wear your clothing over and over again.
Fidget less and look better!
Classic collars, cuffs, and sleeves can be somewhat restrictive if you want to do something that interferes with them such as wear your hair down, wear chunky jewelry, or wear a watch. Look for blouses that have a more open neckline such as a portrait collar, ¾ sleeves, and flexible or multi purposed cuffs that are intended to be worn multiple ways.
Here are a few of my favorites that are coming soon to Kateboggiano.com!
Evie Blouse |
Violet Tunic |
Kate Blouse |
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Style it: Rosa Ruffle Tank - a must have for every woman's wardrobe
One of my favorites for the summer and a must have piece is our Rosa Ruffle Tank. I love the Rosa Ruffle Tank because it is lightweight and cool due to the silk/cotton blend of fabric, fully lined making it office appropriate, it looks great on it's own or as a shell, and the ruffle detail at the neck and sleeves adds special interest and detail to any outfit.
To wear the Rosa Ruffle Tank as a casual piece, pair it with a great pair of white shorts, capris, or jeans.
To wear the Rose Ruffle Tank to the office, add a great bolero over it like our silk Victoria Bolero jacket and wear it with a great pair of linen pants.
For evening, try pairing our Rosa Ruffle Tank with a sexy pencil skirt and pumps.
Our Rosa Ruffle Tank is $129 and is fully lined. It comes in 3 great summer colors (turquoise, fuschia, and grass green - pictured above) and 3 must have neutral colors (black, white, and mushroom - pictured above).
I think I might wear my fuschia Rosa Ruffle Tank tomorrow with a pair of skinny jeans and some killer heels I got from Florodora Shoes (check them out if you haven't already - they are located at 348 S Dearborn St. in Chicago - tell them Kate sent you!).
Here's to it finally being warm!
Kate
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Final day to save 20% Sitewide!
Here are the ones I'd recommend picking up before they are gone forever:
Have a good 1st day back and don't forget to shop today!
Kate
PS - just in case you forgot, the code to get 20% off is HAPPY4TH and you want to enter that code at checkout to apply the 20% off to the whole cart. Happy shopping!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
4th of July Online Sale
Save 20% off sitewide today thru Tuesday 7/5 at 5pm in honor of Independence Day.
Use code HAPPY4TH at checkout.
Happy Shopping!
Kate
PS-Here's my favorite deal!
Monday, January 24, 2011
The week between Christmas and New Years
The first order of business was selling off our excess fabric to Fishman's fabrics. For those of you who know Chicago, you know that there is only one truly great fabric store for the fabric snob and that is Fishman's Fabrics.

The next phase of the project was putting up cubicles so me and Amy could get some serious work done when the place was full of interns. It's amazing how much more work you can get done when you have a place to go away from the chaos!
The final organizational item of business on my list was organizing our raw materials, shipping containers, and items such as our popluar tanks and leggings that we ship all the time. Amy found these awesome cardboard containers at Uline that fit everything perfectly. I'm happy to report that we are much more organized and shipping has sped up significantly since I organized everything. Check it out:
Anyway, now I finally feel like we are ready to conquer the new year head on. Here's to your organizational projects for 2011!
Kate
Thursday, January 20, 2011
WAREHOUSE SALE!!!
Come early and shop our twice yearly warehouse sale. Enjoy hourly discounts, samples starting at just $30, special pricing on our seamless collection, and 20% off Spring 2011 preorders. Our hourly discounts are as follows and include previous season merchandise and our clearance items:
9am-10am: 45% off
10am-11am: 35% off
11am-4pm: 30% off

Need directions or more information? Contact us at sales@kateboggiano.com.
See you Saturday!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Three weeks of newness! EXCITING!

**CFI designers in Chicago Magazine
**Me with Lindsay Boland owner of Habit Boutique, Chicago
Where did we move to you ask? The lovely neighborhood of Pilsen. Conveniently situated on the south side of downtown Chicago, Pilsen is an up and coming neighborhood filled with artists and small businesses trying to make it. The energy is great and I am in LOVE with our new space. The new home of Kate Boggiano is officially 2150 S. Canalport Ave. Suite #3A3, Chicago, IL 60608. The building is a brick and timber building that was constructed in 1900 and originally belonged to Vivano Macaroni company. We have beautiful exposed beams, interior brick walls, and views of downtown.
**View out my office window
**The holding pattern while we were waiting for some paint to dry-always fun and exciting!
**The new space
**A mess waiting to be organized!
**Marilyn setting up shop
Obviously, we still have some work to do, but I’m so excited for the final outcome-it’s going to be great. Invitations to our space warming party coming soon and check out Time Out’s coverage of Pilsen here to learn more about our new diggs: http://www.timeout.com/chicago/articles/features/71730/viva-pilsen
As if moving a business isn’t enough chaos for the time being, Geoff, my lovey dovey (haha), has left EGI (Equity Group International-Sam Zell’s private equity group-the one that bought the Chicago Tribune and the Cubs) and has come over to the dark side-now he really gets to see what us crazy entrepreneurs face everyday instead of advising us on things he’s never done-I’m pretty excited for him!
Geoff is the new Director of Finance for Argo Tea. Argo Tea is a fantastic Chicago chain (12 stores in the Chicagoland region and growing rapidly!) that sells specialty coffee and tea beverages. Similar to Starbucks, Argo Tea far exceeds the quality, service, and overall deliciousness of its main competitor. Need proof that something could possibly be better than Starbucks? Starbucks is very worried about Argo Tea…did you see the new national tea drinks they just rolled out? Talk about being high on Starbucks radar as the largest chain of successful tea companies-go ARGO TEA!
Arsen, the CEO of Argo Tea, requires that all his employees (even corporate execs like Geoff) go through barista training. Here’s my hot hubby this morning dressed up in his AWESOME Argo Tea barista uniform!
**Geoff in Argo Tea barista outfit**
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
50 degrees in the forecast today? You know what I’m thinking…Spring is just around the corner!
Outtakes from Kate Boggiano Spring 2009 photoshoot
**Me with model and French Classic (Ships with cufflinks for the Spring!)
**Gathered Caroline (very funny Alex! I think Sarah looks like 1 of Charlie's Angels though now that you mention it!)
Monday, March 2, 2009
Final Markdowns on Kate Boggiano.com!

Yes, Spring is in the air which not only means we are closer to the famed Chicago summer, running on the lakefront, laying out on the beach, my summer volleyball sand league Clash of the Cavemen (defending champs of Coed 4’s Wed night league-wahoo!), but it also means RIDICULOUS sales on the old stuff!
Check it out this week at kateboggiano.com. Hurry, we are hopping that there is nothing left very soon.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Introducing Marilyn...our newest addition to the team!
Marilyn Eason
Where did you grow up - Tinley Pk.,IL
Why fashion? - I love designing and constructing ensembles. My philosophy is if you do what you love you never haave to work a day in your life; so I choose not to work.
What are you majoring in? Fashion Design
What do you want to do after school? I want to work under a designer when I first get out of college and eventually start my own line.
Why Kate Boggiano? Everytime I go to the internship I learn something I didn't know the day before. School can only teach you so much but experience is what really makes you learn. Kate gives us work that not only needs to be done but will prepare us for the future in our own endeavors. I love working for her because you really get to see how much time and effort it takes in running your own business. Everyone says that they want to have their own line one day; but whats cool about Kate is she is doing it and actually succeed in doing so.
What are the top 5 fashion mistakes you can't stand?
#2 I don't like when people where knits that should not be showing every curve of their body. Whatever happened to leaving some for the imagination.
#3 Belly shirts, even if you are very skinny let's face it they have been out for years.
#4 Denim skirts in summer or those Hollister and Ambercrombie jeans that have rips all over. The grunch look has come and gone. They are so out of style.
#5 I don't like when people still wear shouldier pads or have a mullet hair cut. Leave business in the front party on the sides to your new eye glasses.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Introduction and a little Background
INTRODUCTION
Hello! My name is Kate Coxworth and almost a year ago (wow that was quick!) I started my very first company, Kate Boggiano. Kate Boggiano is a women’s fashion company that makes high quality, great fitting women’s shirts, tops, blouses, and the occasional shirt jacket. Lately, I have been receiving a lot of: “Do you know who you remind me of? Anne Fontaine” a very flattering comment I might add (for those of you who don’t know Anne Fontaine, she makes beautiful blouses for women, primarily in a white and black color palette and her average price point is about $400.00.)
I decided to start writing a blog because I have received a lot of questions and interest from my customers about what occurs at kate Boggiano.com a daily basis. I figured a blog is a great way to explain a little more about our process as well as share some of the more interesting events that oftentimes occur surrounding our brand, Kate Boggiano.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
Growing up, I always made things. From construction paper chains that I would use to decorate every room to making outlandish clothing for my dolls, I was always crafting and working with my hands. Unlike most fashion designers, don’t ask me to draw something first! I like to call myself a 3-D person with less than average 2-D skills. Ask my assistant designer, Katee, I’m a terrible drawer but ask me to draft a pattern for something that is 3-D and that’s no problem.
Anyways, I went to
Taking the leap in college ended up panning out alright in the end. I graduated in December and by February, I had packed up all my earthly possessions in my car and drove out to
I started in Polo’s Men’s merchandising in order to make a difference in what happened with the “business” of Polo. What styles were getting out there in the biggest way (making it to ALL 1200 doors), while making sure to talk to the designers and technical designers to see what would fit the best and in the end, make the most sales. I really liked merchandising, but in August of 2006, Mayor Daley in
In November of 2006 after moving back to Chicago from NYC, I marched into a local bank and showed them what I considered to be my brilliant business plan (which by the way, I told the bank that I would NEVER have ANY inventory-major mistake #1) and got my loan. By May 2007, Kateboggiano.com was up, live, and we had product to start selling! YIPPEE! I had this grandiose idea that the as soon as we went live, the phones would ring, the orders would come pouring in and I’d show everyone that I knew exactly how to build a business and make money my first year. Boy was I ever wrong!
Find out more about my trials and tribulation being and American Fashion Designer by checking back to this blog. In the interim, check us out at: www.kateboggiano.com.
Have specific questions you would like me to address? Please respond to this article and I will include your question in the next posting.
Stay tuned for the official launch of CREATE YOUR OWN SHIRT! CYO to be launched online Monday, April 7th at 9am EST. Make sure to check it out-it will change the fashion industry as we know it forever.
Live in the Chicagoland area? Tune in to ABC 7 at 11am on Monday, April 7th as Kate Coxworth will announce the official launch of CYO shirt/blouse live.